Good morning Angels fans! Hope you are staying safe out there. Have some links as we wait for ST games!
Angels News
Oh Albert Pujols retiring? Yeah that was a lie. His wife ‘mistyped’ and has since clarified that this is the last year of his contract. Albert Pujols insists that he has not decided to retire.
In case you are not paying attention, Spring Training is here, and as such, we here at Crashing the Pearly Gates are bringing you positional previews. Here is one for the infield and one for the outfield.
Here, have some spooky Trout Porn. Seriously scary how numbers do that. Think he does that on purpose?
Speaking of Mike Trout, he is the favorite to win AL MVP. 2nd place isn’t even close. Meanwhile there is a 4 way tie in the NL.
Around Baseball
Shin-Soo Choo is out of MLB, he will play in Korea this year. He will donate 1 million of his 2.7M dollar salary to charity.
So there is some good news from that Mariners president saying those things. The MLBPA now has actual proof that the teams are manipulating service time. Oh they knew, but they have proof now. Which is most likely why he was forced to resign, Manfred must be furious.
The Pirates want to rename the MVP award after Josh Gibson. I am really not a fan of naming it after a player, but if it would be, Frank Robinson won it in both leagues so he makes more sense.
CY Young odds are out. Dylan Bundy has the best chance for the Angels, but is far, far behind the leaders.
Anything I missed? Post below for upvotes!
Can you make that header image a t-shirt? Or hang it up in the Smithsonian?
Angels still interested in Odorizzi.
https://www.mlbtraderumors.com/2021/02/phillies-rumors-jake-odorizzi-free-agent-angels.html
Ohtani is a fun value play on that board. If he manages to start 15 games and have a plus bat in another 125ish, the Angels would be in great position to make the playoffs and Ohtani would be making history.
I’d imagine Trout will still be the WAR god in that scenario, but to be the guy who finally got Trout over the hump would be a great storyline.
Great cartoon “I expect more from you”……Trout (GOAT still the Top Dog) $100.00 could equal $235.00. Rendon $100.00 could = $1800.00 and the fourth best on the Halos is Fletch where $100.00 could be worth $100,000.00, now that’s Sweet……Why name awards after people in MLB. Cy Young maybe keep but sans the rest. The MVP award is the MVP Award period…… Is that Mis-typed or Misty-PED? lol….. I believe Albert retires a Cardinal or at least should…. And lastly the secret has been out in the open about the manipulating service time since Cubs thirdbase man Bryant got hosed a few seasons back, but I agree that now that it is out in the open there is by Manfred a big SMFH and the cat is out of the bag, funny stuff.
I like Fletcher at 1,000:1. Also, Madrigal and Kirilloff that both have MLB bats that could get red hot. I think I need to make a few $100 bets for the fun of it.
I think you are absolutely right that the biggest reason for the instant resignation of Mathes was the admitting of manipulating service time.
I don’t think there’s any doubt that the true reason he was fired was because he sowed doubt into the future prospects in that team and now DiPoto has a nightmare and the CBA is going to get even uglier. Good luck at future arbitration meetings if that still exists. Good for us though. I’m rooting for unhappy Seattle prospects.
Exactly. This thing just creates headaches for Seattle and during the CBA negotiations.
I can’t help but wonder if Pujol’s “I’m not retiring’ sing-song is an attempt to take attention off of himself this season (indicating it’s not his last even though it’s almost for sure the end of his career). That way this season does not become all about him.
Had the same thought. He doesn’t seem like the type who would want an “everybody look at me” tour like Jeter and Papi did.
Look for a statement late in the year that he’s decided to hang it up, probably with an admission that he’s known all year but didn’t want to take attention from the team.
Exactly. Or maybe he will say at the end of this season that he has now finalized his decision (rather than saying he knew all along because that would again put too much attention on himself).
For all the things that bother me about Pujols (primary of which is my sincere belief that he knowingly lied about his age) there is at least an equal number of things that I admire. I am certain he does not want a farewell tour because that would take too much attention away from the team.
100% agreed. I fully think he took his last two contracts under false pretenses. IMO he should’ve come clean when signing the Cardinals extension. That was generational wealth and ending it at 33 instead of 31 probably doesn’t change a thing.
That said, he’s done great things in the community, been a mentor to Trout, etc. I want to like the guy.
In fact, I hope to be in the stands to give him an ovation at that last home game.
Maybe in September he will waive his no trade clause in order to get “traded” to St. Louis and retire as a Cardinal before the end of his playing contract.
If the Angels are playoff bound no way he lets that happen and The Cards wouldn’t want him on their playoff roster. If Pujols does the end of the year fade away look for him to sign the1 day contract at next season’s opener so he can retire as a Cardinal.
Tense times in the Pujols house! He probably will hang them up after 2021, even if he tries to find a deal somewhere I find it hard to see any team having serious interest.
Unless the Cards try a goodwill signing for the fans.
Just a few more days of no baseball!
Only real possibility is the good old one day contract with St. Louis so he can retire as a Cardinal. Although I doubt it with the 10 years personal service contract here.
I doubt that the personal contract would interfere with a one day contract to end his playing time a Cardinal. Besides he really never was a fan favorite here like he was there. he came here for the money. Nothing he did ever tied him to really being a Halo. Also he may just for go that P.S. contract.
I was wondering if he would try to keep playing in Taiwan or Mexico, but I guess the personal services contract stands in the way of that.
Lol I can’t tell if you’re joking about Pujols playing in Taiwan or Mexico 😂
Well, that’s for the guys who just can’t stop playing like Manny Ramirez or Bartolo Colon. (Raphael Palmeiro did manage to get a gig in the American Association of Independent Baseball, though.)
I think Man Ram is or was playing in Australia recently.
The Sydney Blue Sox. He was released recently because some kind of injury prevents him from being able to play. He did not actually get to play in Taiwan because nobody would sign him.
And probably no interest fromThe Sugarland Skeeters!
Andrew Heaney is just ahead of Bundy in the Cy Young odds. Ohtani is somewhat lower; tied with Grienke, Plesac, Montas, the very boring Marco Gonzalez, and Keuchel. Interesting!
Bundy? Cy Young?
Don’t make me laugh.